If you want to do more than have your kid put his John Hancock on twenty-five 2 x3 store-bought cards showcasing Shrek? or Batman? the night before the Valentine's Day party, consider making Valentine's Day photo cards instead. You can do everything, something or nothing, depending on your child's preferences, his or her age and maturity level, and, of course, how much time you have before "Heart Day."
The important thing to remember-as with all projects involving kids-is to avoid getting too invested in the results. As soon as you are more interested in "doing it right" than "having fun," the experience will turn sour for the small somebody in the room. If you think you may tend to say things like, "don't you think you should cut that straighter?" or "how about centering your name between here..and here..and let's make those letters bigger!"...as soon as you think you might start veering that way, set up your own project. Maybe make your own Valentine's Kids Cards while your child is making his/hers. That way you can take all of that perfectionism and direct it at your own creations. Good idea, right?
OK, so, lecture over. Here's what you'll need for Valentine's Day The Cards
Card stock or pre-cut cards in colors you child likes best (keep it loose; a Valentine's Day card that is orange and grape can be very attractive to kids). Or you can have some influence by letting something neutral, like ivory card stock, be the basis for all of the cards. That way, colors that don't coordinate well will be somewhat softened. Consider metallic or textured card stock too, which will add a lot of substance.
The Photos
This is another instance where you can either exert control over what ends up on your kids' Valentine's Day cards or you can let them be in charge. The more you let your kids decide, the more satisfaction they will feel when they hand out their special creations in class, so remember that when your daughter or son wants to put the picture of themselves as a toddler in your arms...when it was your day off work...before you had a chance to shower. Also, if you own a digital camera and can easily print up the copies you need, all the better. You might even have a quick photo session with your child-nothing too involved-and then let them pick their favorite.
The Other Stuff
If you're an experienced crafter, you may already have plenty of decorative items on hand, like stickers, stamps, markers, inks and more. Since this is not an heirloom piece, you can simply use whatever is on hand. Glue sticks, markers, rhinestones from the junk drawer, pieces of wrapping paper and ribbons from the gift wrap box, pages from an old worn music book (think heart shapes cut from a Czerny finger exercise), glitter, whatever is on hand. If you use light colored or ivory card stock, a nice dark ink will work well for the message and accents. If the background card stock is darker, consider investing in a white pen that will provide a striking contrast.
The Basic Design
The basic design is a picture of your child centered on the front of a card. Stock colors that are lighter will take darker ink accents and vice versa. A ribbon or contrasting color of paper strip can be attached so that it runs horizontally through the middle of the card; the picture sits on top of this. A "Happy Valentine's Day" message can go above the picture and "from _________" can go underneath, but this will depend on the creative genius of the artist. Inside can be a short message and To: plus the recipient's name. To simplify this, your child can create a "roses are red, violets are blue" kind of poem on the computer and print out enough copies to attach inside the cards. Finally, you can add a little extra flair by stamping something on the back, the way the "real card companies" do it, with your child's own unique hallmark (consider a potato stamp!)
Key words: Kids Cards ，Cards
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